


Some Assembly Required

by TrishaCollins



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Dad!Cor, Gen, brotherhood era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 12:59:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18388913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrishaCollins/pseuds/TrishaCollins
Summary: Cor has spent years protecting Prompto from afar. He won't give up on this boy, no matter what.





	1. Chapter 1

He knew the moment Clarus called him that something was Up. He could hear it in the man’s voice – long association bred a useful habit of being able to read his intent. Useful for battle, terrible when the man was up to something and he was left with no more than a feeling of dread as he entered the room. 

Noctis was there, which boded well for him. Clarus and Regis made an an attempt to avoid teasing him too freely when the kid was there. But the fact that Prompto was standing next to him made his stomach tighten.

He had known the pair were working on a friendship for weeks, and had quietly approved of it it even if he made no effort to communicate that to the prince. Both boys needed friends, but neither needed friends that someone else had advised should be their friends.

“Cor!” Regis said pleasantly. “So good of you to join us. Prompto, this is the Marshal of the Crownsguard, Cor Leonis. I gather you have heard of him?” 

 

Damn. 

“Uh. Yes sir, your majesty.” Prompto said, shifting awkwardly. 

“Good. Cor, this is Noctis’ new friend, Prompto. The boys wanted permission to go camping together, but Clarus and I have some stipulations – one of which is that you need to train Mr. Argentum in self-defense.”

Prompto made a soft squeaking sound, nearly ducking behind Noctis. 

“Very well.” He ignored Regis’ look, and Clarus’ smirk, focusing on the boy instead. “We can add it to your morning routine. You run at least a mile, correct?”

“I-uh. Yes, Mr. Immortal Marshal Sir. How did….I mean….uhhhh.” 

“It’s my job to know about those who associate with the prince.” He pretended not to hear Clarus’ snigger. What did it matter that he watched Prompto for his own reasons? “I will meet you tomorrow morning to get you started. Your running form is acceptable, so I doubt it will be too much issue.” 

“Oh.” Prompto looked embarrassed. “Of course.”

“You get used to them.” Noctis said, unflappable. “I’ll join you.”

“Are you sure you get out of bed that early?” He asked, keeping his tone neutral. 

Noctis coughed. “Hey.” 

“Don’t worry, if you want to tag along I’ll wake you up.”

Noctis looked a little bit nervous now. “Uh. I mean. That’s ok.”

“Cor, stop picking on them.” Regis said, voice warm with amusement. “I am sure whatever schedule you work out will be sufficient. Perhaps you would like to take Mr. Argentum to the weapons and see what proficiency he owns?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Are you wanting me to induct him into the Crownsguard or merely train him in self-defense?”

Regis’ grin was just a little smug. “Well. Considering what became of my own friends, I imagine it behooves us to train the boy, don’t you think?”

Prompto kept glancing between them, fidgeting with the cuff which he only did when he was really nervous.

Damn Regis for dragging the kid into this. He had been careful to keep from disrupting the child’s life, and now Regis was trying to blow it. 

He ground his teeth with a sigh, trying to avoid letting his irritation go. “Come on then, since his royal Majesty has decided we must.”

“Noct?” Prompto whispered.

“Just go with him, they’re being weird. You get used to it. Cor is the calmest and he doesn’t bite.” Noctis told him softly. 

*~*

He moved automatically to correct Prompto stance and had to control his temper when the kid flinched back, his already sloppy form disintegrating with nerves. “Calm. I will not harm you.”

“Right. I know that.” The kid still looked a little bit queasy. This was their second day meeting in the morning, and Prompto looked more unsure of himself for it than ever. His form had been better yesterday, and he’d only just started, flushed from his run. 

Sometimes it hurt to have a reputation. He sighed. “Come on.” 

“Where are we going, Mr. Immortal, Sir?” The kid asked, terror plain in his voice. 

“Just Cor or the Marshal, kid. We’re going to sit and talk for a bit. So you can tell me what’s got you so nervous.”

Prompto licked his lips, managing a halfway decent affronted look, but obediently walked to the bench he indicated. 

He sat next to him, picking up the thermos of coffee he had brought to pour himself a cup. “So. What is it?”

“Nothing Mr. Marshal, Sir. I just suck.” Prompto’s head was hanging, eyes on the ground beneath his feet. 

“Your form is good when you’re not overthinking it, you did well for a first timer at target practice, and you can run faster and with more stamina than the new recruits. If that was all that you were worried about, then I could easily reassure you.” He tilted his head, offering the thermos to Prompto. The kid shook his head, breathing heavy in a way that implied nerves. 

“I just…” Prompto bit his lip, looking down at his hands. “It took me a long time…being Noct’s friend. It took me a long time to get there. Now…I’m afraid you will think I’m not good enough to be his friend. It’s….kinda….”

He reached over and settled a cautious hand on Prompto’s shoulder. “Nobody, especially me, thinks you aren’t good enough to be Prince Noctis’s friend. Some training is just required – not so that you can protect the prince, but so that you can protect yourself.” 

Prompto screwed up his face, tense and a little bit wild eyed under what he had thought was a common gesture of comfort. The kid made no effort to shrug it off, so he left it in place. “What would I need to protect myself from?” 

“Noctis has guards and drivers and a host of people shadowing his every moment. Who is waiting for you at home?”

Prompto flinched.

He immediately felt guilty, likely the ‘parents’ had left again. “Sorry. The point is, I have other duties. I cannot always make sure you stay safe, which makes you a softer target than the prince. Unfortunately, we are at war. There are people who might try to take advantage of that. Which is why I want you able to protect yourself.”

Maybe he should have stayed closer, despite his reservations. Maybe he should have kept the kid and hired someone to look after him in the field. He couldn’t have done this bad a job. 

“Right. So…no firing me as the royal acquaintance?” Prompto asked quietly.

“No firing you as the royal friend. But I might make you run more laps if you piss me off. But I’ll probably buy you breakfast most mornings, because I get hungry after a workout.” He gave his shoulder a squeeze. “I’m here to help, not to make you feel worse about things.”

Prompto nodded. “I…thanks. I know you’re like really important and you could have given me to someone else. I just…Thanks. Really.”

“You are really important as well, Prompto.” He tried to smile. “Come find me if you need anything. Always.”

“Right. I’ve got your number.” The kid drew a shaky breath. “Ready to try again, sir.”

He could live with ‘sir’ he guessed. “Right. A breather always helps clear your head.” He stood up. “Stop thinking so much about it. Your body has a better idea of what it can do than you do and I won’t hit you with any force until you can block it.”

“Right. Pretendy punches. I can handle those!” 

He couldn’t give this kid to anyone else, not with his body wired for combat and his mind a fog of adolescent ideals that had no idea what to do with it. Still, if there had been any doubts before that Prompto would grow into an actual person, this was clear proof to the contrary. 

He couldn’t risk someone else he didn’t trust mangling it, making Prompto feel scared of whatever was beyond the barrier his childhood had created.

He deserved as a chance as much as any other child.

“I’m ready.” Prompto bounced a bit on his feet, but fell into more or less the proper form.

“Good.” He settled across from him. “Hit me.” 

Prompto faltered. “Uh.”

“Hit me.” He encouraged. “I can block it. We’ll start there.”

He could see the hesitance, but after a few more moments, Prompto came at him. 

He would save this boy. He would temper the fact that Prompto had the training written somewhere in his mind with the fact that the body that had leaned those skills when he was an infant.


	2. Chapter 2

“He’s good, huh?” Clarus asked, arms crossed over his chest.

He grunted, watching the kids wrestle. Noctis was winning, but he had years of training on Prompto’s scant months of it. Still, Prompto was holding his own.

“See, they could have been friends much sooner.” 

“Yes, because he and Gladio are the best of friends.” He returned, mild. 

Clarus shrugged. “Give the boys a few years, Gladio is older than he is. We thought-well.” He shrugged, unhappy. “If Aulea’s first pregnancy had made it to term, they would have been agemates. But what happened, happened.”

“Hm.” He wasn’t really interested in talking about the kids right now, he was too busy watching Prompto’s form.

Noctis went down like a sack of potatoes- squawking and flailing as Prompto pinned him. The boy was laughing, but the take down hadn’t been one he had demonstrated. 

That worried him. There was ever a peril in letting Prompto train with the prince, and he hated that Noctis had suggested it. There was no polite way to turn him down without revealing what he knew. 

At least none of the other conditioning was leaking through. 

Prompto laughed and gave Noctis a hand up, nudging him with an elbow. “One to me, yeah? What like, ten to you?” 

“Heh, yeah. Good one, seems like training with Cor is really starting to pay off?” Noctis lifted a hand, waving at them. “Hey, Ignis! Didja see that?”

“I saw, yes. It seems it would behoove you to practice with the Marshal as well.” Scientia was leaning against the wall, face neutral. 

“Gah. Not yet. Wouldn’t want to intrude.” Noctis seemed fine with it, relaxed and easy. “Again?”

“Sure. Though I need a drink before we go any further.” Prompto jogged to where they had left the towels and water bottles, draining half of his in a go. “You training with the Glaive after this?”

“Memorizing my schedule?” Noctis teased, picking up the towel and mopping his face. “Cor is rubbing off on you.” 

“Hey, man. I gotta know when I can grab you for Kings Knight! Cor wants me doing firearms with the guard trainees, so I figured if you have flash step with the Glaive, we could meet up after and hang out?” Prompto sounded so hopeful.

“His highness has another meeting after training.” Scientia cut in. “Though it should be a short one. So if you wish to play your games afterwards, that would be permissible.” 

He snorted softly. 

“Duty then, homework, then Kings knight.” Prompto grinned. “I can live with that. Hey, see, this can work.” 

“Yeah.” Noctis tossed an arm around his shoulder. “You’re the one who thought it wouldn’t, dork.” 

“Hey. Mister Prince, you’re the one who doesn’t talk to anyone.” Prompto twisted out from under his arm and gave him a shove.

“Oh is that how it is?” 

Water break forgotten, they were back to wrestling again.

“Why are you still worried?” Clarus asked softly.

“I didn’t want him involved in this.” He admitted quietly. “I wanted him to be safe. He’ll never be entirely safe at Noctis’ side.”

Clarus sighed softly. “But he’ll be happy. You were.”

He had to admit that was true, even as his hands gripped at his elbow. “I wanted him to have a future. I didn’t want him to feel like he had to follow my path. Now it seems he will despite that.”

“Is that why you spent so much time pretending he wasn’t yours? Come on, Cor.” Clarus sighed. “He’s a good kid. He would have been lucky to have you for a father.” 

He shook his head, watching the boys wrestle down beneath them. 

“You didn’t fail him, Cor.” Clarus gave him a small shove. 

“Feels like it. But I won’t stop him from going his own way.” It still felt like a guilty little thing, to encourage Prompto to choose service when he had been granted the rare gift of freedom. None of the other MTs had been offered the same.

“Good. That’s all you can do. So I hear you’re feeding him now? Directly, not just sneaking into his apartment to leave chow for him.”

“We have breakfast most mornings, if our training doesn’t run too late. He’s doing well. This is building his confidence.” He should have just kept the kid, if this was where they were going to end up anyway. He could have hired someone to look after him, or imposed on Laelia when he was out of the city on missions.

There were no end of ‘maybes’ and ‘might haves’ in which he could have kept the baby he had smuggled back. 

But that hadn’t been what he had decided, and Prompto was who he was in large part due to those decisions. 

He must stand by them, and try to live without regrets. 

“So, you want me to keep an eye on him while you’re out of the city? Think he’ll train with me?” Clarus asked.

“He might. He might be too nervous. He runs the north loop of the city, you can easily keep up with him. Though I would wager he has more stamina than you. I’ve assigned two of my guardsmen to him to walk him through the basics of firearm safety. Don’t make too much of his accuracy, it makes him uncomfortable.”

“Right. Humble and shy.” Clarus nodded, thoughtful. “Breakfast?”

“Depends on the morning. Don’t let him have coffee, it makes his anxiety worse.” 

“Design flaw?” Clarus asked, amused.

“Leave it.” He rumbled, looking down to make sure the kids weren’t listening – they weren’t.

“Just makes you wonder about some people, is all.” Clarus teased. “Think Verstael ever broke down and sobbed about how much of a disappointment he was after having three cups of coffee?”

He considered the idea, but shook his head. “Leave it, Clarus. Please.”

“I know. I know. Just wondering. So, no coffee, northern run, firearm training, don’t forget to give him some praise but not too much praise. Have I got it all down?”

He nodded after a moment, still hating the idea of leaving Prompto’s training to someone else. “I’ll be gone at most a week.”

“Two weeks, probably. Knowing how through you like to be.”

He rolled his eyes. “I will try to keep it short. I don’t want him to feel like I’ve abandoned him.”

“I’m sure he’ll be too distracted with the prince to realize you’re gone.” Clarus grinned. “But I know he’ll miss you. These past few months have made him happy. You too.”

He grimaced at his friend.

Clarus chuckled. “Do you hate that we were right that much?”

“I don’t know if it would have gone any better than it has.” He admitted, watching the boys. “He lived the life he lived, we must work from that.”

“But you wish you’d kept him.” Clarus pressed.

“….there are some less than ideal traits that are the product of his environment that I believe I could have helped mitigate.” 

Clarus just laughed. “So what you’re saying is we were right.”

“I refuse to acknowledge that statement with a response.” 

All three of the teens turned to look when Clarus burst into laughter.


End file.
